“A great and wonderous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. …………
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God ……” Revelation 12:1-6
Commentary in the NIV Protestant Bible:
- ‘a woman clothed with the sun’ = the believing Messianic community
- ‘twelve stars’ = the 12 tribes of Israel
- ‘cried out in pain’ = the rebirth of Jerusalem
- ‘red dragon’ = enemy of God and of Israel
- ‘a son, a male child’ = the Messiah
- ‘snatched up to God’ = the ascension of Christ
My Catholic Bible commentary indicates that the woman who appears surrounded with glory, but suffering labour pains represents humanity cooperating with God’s plans, and also the church ‘fleeing to the desert’, that is to say, living spiritually withdrawn from the world. The woman also represents Mary who gave birth of Jesus.
In popular Catholic belief this verse is pre-eminently about the special place of Mary: the woman with the crown of twelve stars is Mary crowned as Queen of Heaven.
This is the only Bible verse that could be interpreted as linked to a special role and place for Mary. The crowning of Mary in heaven is part of belief in her assumption.
Revelation chapter 12 is quite a curious passage of the New Testament. Let us remember that it was written by the apostle John when banished to the Island of Patmos. It is probable that he did not understand the symbolism of what was revealed to him.
Sanctified by grace
Mary’s charisma was her virginity. Orthodox and Catholic Christians are sure that she was mother to only one child. Mary is described by the angel as “full of grace”.
You could believe that Mary was filled with grace when Jesus was conceived in her womb; that she was sanctified by carrying and giving birth to the Son of God. Her acceptance of the role of bearing the Messiah at the Annunciation allowed her to be filled with grace. This might represent a modern understanding of Mary. Or you can believe that she was prepared in advance for this role right from before the time of her birth. This is Catholic belief regarding Mary.
Excessive Piety
The problem with belief in the special place of Mary comes when she is accorded a higher divine status than Christ himself. Some people believe that Mary in the Immaculate Conception was conceived free of original sin and so was perfect from the beginning of her existence, and never committed any sins or experienced temptations.
Yet, although Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit without contracting original sin and was sinless from birth, he was tempted by the devil. This means his human nature gave him the possibility to sin. When he hung on the cross he suffered pain because he had a human body. Before rising from the dead, he had to die because in life Jesus was fully human.
There are devotees who believe that Mary was so perfect that she did not need to die, but was assumed into heaven from being alive here on earth. This is a status beyond human status. It is more akin to the status of a goddess who is supposedly divine, and not human at all.
Merry and True 